Vulnerable People and Places Blog

 As members of the Portland community, we strive to serve when we can and think outside the box. All members of our community are meant to feel open and welcome, and our goal was to try and bridge that gap the best we can. In these efforts, we know we can't change the world overnight, but we can sure try. We have been posting flyers all over Oregon and downtown Portland. If you see one of them, that's a small mind change to help create a bigger one. With more and more access to resources, struggling people in our community can receive the support they need. As you can read on this blog, there are countless stories of political corruption, moral quandaries, systemic hatred among individuals, and environmental issues that make it hard for people out of our community to receive the care they need. We are focused on the houseless community, serving a large population. With these resources, we can help people who are on the line of houseless or are trying to bounce back. If you are ...

For some, the library is a faint childhood memory, having its introduction be our beautiful look into the world of literature for the first time. For many, though, that is the extent of what they know. Outside of fellow scholars or students studying for their degrees, there isn’t much use for public libraries in the public consciousness. However, a city's public liberty is not only the epicenter of learning but positivity and open arms to the community. The public library is the undervalued lifeblood of a city’s information ecosystem. It brings people closer to information and provides them with many extra resources they might not know about in a diverse and equitable sense. A library doesn't say no to its community. Figure 1: Inside the Multnomah Country Library.

        I entered the Native American Student Community Center early afternoon. I don't visit often but I often recognize its roof whenever I'm getting food at Victor's Dining Hall or Chipoltle. I'll admit that I did step up to the quiet building with a little trepidation. The exhibit I was here to see was on a topic that like most people, I'd been guilty of looking away from. Homelessness isn't a happy subject, and here I was to see a gallery of comics created by Portland State Students who had at some point in their lives experienced homelessness. Was I about to walk into this lovely building all happy and cheery and walk out incredibly depressed?  I didn't know, but the following day I was scheduled to talk to Dr. Kacy McKinney, a professor of Community Development, Visual Artist, and Feminist Geographer (didn't know that last one so I know what rabbit hole I'm going down next), who was one of the lead researchers that helped make this exhibit. I ...